


Have Yourself A Tinder Little Christmas

by Oliviet



Category: Veronica Mars (Movie 2014), Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Christmas, F/M, Holiday, Kind of a meet cute?, Lovecember2020, NYC, banter!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:36:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27922372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oliviet/pseuds/Oliviet
Summary: Veronica is stuck in New York working over the holidays and in a moment of loneliness, matches with Logan on Tinder. They realize neither of them have plans on Christmas and decide to meet up for the first time and spend it together so neither of them have to be alone.AU where they're strangers prior to this. Part of LoVecember 2020.
Relationships: Logan Echolls/Veronica Mars
Comments: 70
Kudos: 186
Collections: Lovecember Holiday Edition





	1. Chapter 1

Veronica plugs in her tiny Christmas tree without bothering to turn on anymore lights before plopping down onto her bed with a huff. The multi-colored glow casts rainbows across her bed in her NYC studio apartment. That tree may be the only joy and holiday cheer she gets this year. She can’t believe her usual holiday plans fell through and now she’s going to be stuck spending Christmas alone. How pathetic is that? Potentially made even more pathetic by the fact that she just opened her Tinder dating app on Christmas Eve to aimlessly swipe through guys who are only interested in sending in her dick pics. This was a new low. 

She keeps swiping left and right through the photos, not even bothering to read the bios anymore. The guys on this app are all the same, she doesn’t even know why she bothers. Maybe she keeps hoping that one of them will actually be interested in more than a one-night stand. Or maybe just that one of them will finally convince her to have one.

She’s ready to just toss her phone aside and forget the whole thing when one of the guys she swiped right on messages her. Veronica groans inwardly, debating just plugging her phone in to charge and calling it a night without even reading it. She’s just going to turn the guy down anyway. She has no interest in being his Christmas Eve booty call or last minute fake date to some big family Christmas. She’d opened the app out of a combination of boredom and loneliness. No random stranger was going to fill the void in her life she has this year.

But the more she tries to tell herself she’s not going to look at the message, the more tempted she is to open it. Groaning again, this time at her lack of self-control, she opens the message from this Logan guy, expecting the worse.

_Logan: Glad to see I’m not the only one without plans today._

She huffs at that, debating if she should even engage. It’s 8 PM. She could have already had plans today, even if those plans were just working an unplanned 10-hour day. Maybe she was involved in said plans right now and she was just bored. This guy doesn’t know her life.

_Veronica: Bold of you to assume I have nothing better going on._

The typing bubble appears immediately in the chat.

_Logan: Oh okay, I get it. Whatever family/friend/coworker gathering you’re stuck at is boring you to tears, so you hopped on here for some entertainment._

She smirks at that, thinks about letting him think she’s trapped at some awful holiday event and not sitting home alone in the dark, minus the glow of her Christmas tree. But something makes her tell him the truth.

_Veronica: Nope. You were right the first time._

She watches him type again, wondering how long he’ll stay interested in this conversation before inviting her over to get him off. She really fucking hates dating.

_Logan: Then again I say, I’m glad it’s not just me. I was starting to feel sorry for myself._

She rolls her eyes, anticipating where this is headed.

_Veronica: And let me guess you’re looking for some girl lonely enough on this holiday to come keep you company and cheer you up?_

_Logan: You really do keep low expectations for men, huh?_

_Veronica: It’s Christmas Eve and you’re swiping through women on Tinder so you can feel less alone. What do you expect me to think?_

_Logan: And what is it exactly that you’re doing on here tonight?_

She pushes a hand through her hair, biting her lower lip. How much does she tell him?

_Veronica: Honestly? I don’t even know. I had a long day at work and got home and just wanted…_

“To feel something,” she mutters to herself before typing.

_Veronica: a distraction._

_Logan: And you think, just because I’m a man, I’m looking for a different type of distraction than you are._

What is it with this guy?

_Veronica: First of all, women are allowed to want to use sex as a distraction just as much as men are. And just because that’s not the type of particular distraction I was looking for tonight, doesn’t mean that you, a male on this app, isn’t._

_Logan: What if I was just looking for someone to talk to?_

_Veronica: Aren’t there hotlines you can call for that?_

_Logan: haha not a sex thing. Just to talk._

_Veronica: So what? You swiped right on a bunch of girls and sent them all the same message to see who you could con into a conversation?_

_Logan: Nope just you_

She sighs, collapsing back against her headboard and clicking onto his profile to actually read his bio. They’re the same age. He’s also a New York transplant from California. He’s in advertising. Loves dogs. And surfing. And damn do his abs really look like that? Why is there only one picture of him on here with his surfboard?

“Get it together, Veronica,” she mutters, swiping back into their chat.

_Veronica: My sparkling personality caught your eye?_

_Logan: Noticed you were from California too. Thought us both being out here on the opposite coast away from home, sitting on this app on a holiday was a good start._

_Veronica: So I’m just the only California girl on your radar, is that it?_

_Logan: For now_

She snorts, shaking her head. What the hell else does he think is going to happen?

_Veronica: All right fine. We can have a conversation. But if things get too weird I’m blocking you._

_Logan: ha! Duly noted. So what type of lawyer job drags you into the office on Christmas Eve?_

She starts to ask him how he knew she was a lawyer, when she remembers that it’s in her bio. Right.

_Veronica: The assistant district attorney kind. Crime tends to miss the whole holiday memo._

_Logan: In the middle of a court case?_

_Veronica: Prepping for one. A big one._

_Logan: And that’s why you’re not back home in California right now, I assume?_

_Veronica: Partially. What about you, Mr. Advertising guy? The California waves couldn’t call you back this year?_

_Logan: You realize this time of year is the busiest for advertisers, right?_

_Veronica: Oh come on, your holiday campaigns have been done for months. I’ve been seeing them since October._

_Logan: You don’t even know which one is mine._

_Veronica: Does it matter?_

_Logan: Touché._

She slides down away from her headboard so she’s laying on her back, getting into a more comfortable position.

_Veronica: You didn’t actually answer my question. What’s keeping you here?_

_Logan: Work. Same as you._

She’s not buying it, but she isn’t exactly telling him the whole truth either, so she lets it slide.

_Logan: Are you working again tomorrow?_

_Veronica: Uh no. Trying not to at least._

_Logan: Sounds like you’re going to need this distraction to continue._

_Veronica: Don’t let me keep you from your holiday plans. I’ll be fine._

_Logan: What plans? Just as much of a free agent tomorrow as you seem to be._

_Veronica: Are we the most pathetic people in Manhattan or what?_

_Logan: Pretty damn close, I’d say_

She laughs at that, swiping back to his profile. Okay this guy was seriously hot. And it always worries her that the seriously hot ones are catfishing.

_Logan: Do you ever stop and wonder when we let our jobs become our entire life?_

She smiles a little, thinking maybe she _does_ have more in common with this guy besides sharing a home state.

_Veronica: All the damn time._

_Logan: And yet we refuse to do anything about it._

_Veronica: Explains why we’re both on this dating app after working long hours on Christmas Eve._

_Logan: Almost makes me miss my childhood. Emphasis on the almost._

She laughs again, thinking about the number of times she’s wished she could go back in time, but was simultaneously glad she couldn’t.

_Veronica: As much as adulting sucks, no one wants to go back and relive their awkward stages_

_Logan: Who said anything about being awkward? ;)_

_Veronica: lol right you came out of the womb with those washboard abs_

_Logan: Stalking my profile are we? Like what you see?_

What is she supposed to say to that? Obviously she likes what she sees, that’s why she swiped right on him in the first place. But should she really be stroking his ego and opening up this conversation to innuendo? Fuck it, maybe he’ll compliment her back and she could use that after the day she’s had.

_Veronica: Wouldn’t have swiped right on you if I didn’t._

_Logan: Only interested in me for my six pack, huh?_

She shrugs, even though he can’t see it.

_Veronica: It’s Tinder what do you expect?_

_Logan: Fine, you want to play that game? Are you wearing a push-up bra in that little black dress photo?_

_Veronica: ha I knew it! You were staring at my boobs in all of my photos and comparing them. Pervert._

_Logan: It’s Tinder what do you expect?_

That gets her laughing again. She finds she doesn’t mind playing this game with this guy. He doesn’t seem like the usual type she interacts with on this app.

_Veronica: Yes, I’m wearing a push-up bra in that one_

_Logan: This is me nodding in approval_

_Veronica: And this is me, rolling my eyes_

_Logan: All right, all right I get it. Back on topic. Being an adult sucks but no one misses having braces._

_Veronica: They’re really not a good look for anyone_

_Logan: Now they’re trying to push that whole Invisalign thing. Kids these days don’t know the true pain of being a tween_

_Veronica: So you admit it, you did have an awkward stage_

_Logan: oh yes ears too big for my head, limbs too long for the rest of my body, it was quite the look TM_

_Veronica: you did not just trademark that_

_Logan: I did. Why? You’re not a copyright lawyer are you?_

_Veronica: No, but your inner advertising businessman is showing_

_Logan: Damn, he always comes out to play at the worst times_

She can’t stop grinning. What is it about this inane conversation that’s making her feel like this?

_Veronica: Don’t worry, ADA Veronica is pretty hard to turn off too._

_Logan: Do you yell out objection in the bedroom?_

_Veronica: god no!_

_Logan: Ah so more of a ‘god yes’ woman in bed, I see_

_Veronica: Don’t make me call you a pervert again_

_Logan: Objection, argumentative_

_Veronica: You’re not using that right_

_Logan: I think I am_

_Veronica: Did you go to law school?_

_Logan: Nope, but I have my MBA_

_Veronica: Not even remotely the same thing, but good for you_

_Logan: Closer to law school than med school_

_Veronica: Well…you’re not wrong_

There is zero rhyme or reason to this conversation, and she finds its just the distraction she needed. For the moment, she’s not stressing about work or her father or the holidays. She’s just letting herself enjoy arguing with this potentially ridiculously hot Logan guy.

_Logan: aha vindication! Okay anyway, define your awkward stage._

She groans at just the memory of it.

_Veronica: I hit my adult height in 6 th grade. Didn’t really have boobs until my 20s. Tried to cut my own hair when I was 16 and it resulted in just a really awkward lookTM_

_Logan: Stealing my trademark_

_Veronica: It was my own signature look it deserves a TM_

_Logan: So how tall are you?_

_Veronica: 5’1”_

_Logan: Oh fun sized!_

_Veronica: Go ahead, make another short joke, see if I block you_

_Logan: You’re feisty, anybody ever tell you that?_

_Veronica: Oh yes, opposing council loves to point that out_

_Logan: Fluent in sarcasm too, ladies and gentleman_

_Veronica: Such flattery_

She watches the typing bubble appear and disappear a couple of times, like he can’t quite figure out what he wants to say.

_Logan: Hey, this is going to sound crazy, but what if we spend tomorrow together?_

And there it is. Tragic. She was starting to like this guy.

_Veronica: Not into the booty call thing. Sorry._

_Logan: No, no not to have sex just to hang out so we’re both not alone on Christmas. Don’t even have to think of it as a date if you don’t want to. I’m just enjoying talking to you and thought in person might make it easier than all of this typing._

_Veronica: On Christmas though? Nothing will be open. And no offense but I’m not just showing up to the private residence of some guy I’ve been texting for 15 minutes._

_Logan: This is New York! A melting pot of cultures. There’s got to be Chinese food or something open. And CVS probably will be._

_Veronica: You want to take me to a drugstore on our first date? Is that so you can buy condoms if things go well?_

_Logan: lol no. You know what I mean. We’ll find stuff to do. And this way neither of us have to be alone._

She’s hesitant. This is not something she would usually do or be into. But he does have a point. Even meeting up with him for an hour would beat feeling sorry for herself for having no other plans on what used to be her favorite holiday.

_Veronica: You’re not gonna try and murder me or anything are you?_

_Logan: If I was, would I tell you?_

_Veronica: That’s not making me feel any better. As an ADA, I have plenty of contacts inside the NYPD you know._

_Logan: I promise I’m not a serial killer or rapist or anything. I swear on my mother’s grave._

_Veronica: How do I know that’s genuine?_

_Logan: You can Google her obituary if you like. Lynn Echolls. Died in 2005._

Okay, now she just feels like an ass.

_Veronica: Shit, Logan, I – I’m sorry_

_Logan: I get it. I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of cases of online dating meet-ups gone wrong, or at least read about them. Just give me five minutes tomorrow. We can go somewhere very public like a CVS and if you’re not feeling it, we can go our separate ways._

She chews on her lower lip, flipping over so she’s lying on her stomach.

_Veronica: And what if I am feeling it?_

_Logan: Then we’ll find something else to do besides hang out in a drugstore on Christmas._

_Veronica: Fine. There’s a CVS off of 14 th St and 8th Ave, do you know it?_

_Logan: Not from memory, but I can get there. Want to meet around lunchtime? 12? 12:30?_

_Veronica: 12 works._

_Logan: Well then would you look at that. We both now have plans on Christmas._

_Veronica: Is this the point where I refer to you as my savior ironically?_

_Logan: haha letting your kinks out already?_

_Veronica: How is that a kink? It’s not like I offered to call you daddy_

_Logan: Please don’t ever do that_

_Veronica: Wasn’t planning on it_

_Logan: haha all right I’ll let you enjoy the rest of your uneventful Christmas Eve, but I will see you tomorrow_

_Veronica: Yeah okay, I need to buy toothpaste anyway_

_Logan: How festive of you_

_Veronica: I’ll pick up a candy cane too, just to please you_

_Logan: There’s that holiday spirit_

She rolls her eyes.

_Veronica: Have a good night, Logan._

_Logan: You too, Veronica._

She stares down at her phone, thumbing back through his profile photos, before looking over at her little Christmas tree. Was this more or less pathetic than just spending the holiday by herself? She decides that it’s an improvement, even if she only ends up spending five minutes with him and buying toothpaste. But she has a gut feeling that this guy is different. And her gut is rarely wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! I'm so glad you all seem excited for the premise of this new fic :) It will be on the shorter side, and I'm hoping to wrap it up by Christmas or New Year's at the latest, so I can return my focus to Dust in the Wind. Enjoy their Christmas in NYC antics!

She forgot that the subway was operating on a Sunday schedule because of the holiday, meaning the express she was planning on taking wasn’t running and she was forced to stop at all of the local stops along the track. She was going to be late, but hopefully not late enough to make Logan think she stood him up. Still, she knew she should have just taken a cab.

It was stupid really, for her to have picked this particular CVS when she lived nowhere near it. It wasn’t even near her office. But some irrational part of her brain had wanted to keep this guy as far away from her world in this city as possible. And she doesn’t know why, because she’s pretty sure she likes him. And yet now, if he turns out to be a dud, she made a cross-town trip just to get toothpaste. She put on jeans for this. She could have just as easily run down to the bodega across the street from her apartment in her sweatpants if all she had been after today was toothpaste.

But again, she was pretty sure she liked him. And when he brought up CVS as a date idea, her mind had flashed to her last horrible blind date gone wrong where she ended up at this very CVS buying Benadryl after her date had a mild allergic reaction to something in his dinner. Was she trying to redeem this location or further associate it with memories she’d simply rather forget?

Veronica climbs up out of the subway, pulling her coat tighter as the wind greets her. It’s weather like this that makes her _really_ miss California. Especially when the tall buildings create wind tunnels that make her regret even stepping foot outside in the winter.

She checks her watch. She’s only 10 minutes late. That’s not bad, right? She wonders where he lives – he has to be close to her doesn’t he? Isn’t that how Tinder works? He probably thinks she’s crazy for suggesting they meet this far away from their homes.

_Great start, Veronica. This was certainly a choice TM._

She starts laughing to herself at her mental addition of the trademark. He’s already sticking with her and she hasn’t even met him yet.

“You know 5’1” is even shorter than it sounds.”

She grins when she sees him, even though he’s greeting her with an insult.

“Ass,” she calls out to him, earning her a sideways glance from the elderly couple out for a stroll besides her.

“Too bad you can’t block me in person, huh?” Logan asks, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“I could. It’s called a restraining order. Don’t make me bother a judge on Christmas.”

“Empty threats, Veronica.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “You don’t even know me.”

He smirks back. “I intend to change that.”

Logan gestures to the CVS behind them. “Shall we?”

“You were serious about taking me on a date to CVS?” she laughs.

He nods. “I was. And besides, you need toothpaste.”

She shakes her head, stepping past him into the drugstore. “So weird.”

“You call it weird, I call it quirky. Maybe even a little charming.”

She points to the shopping baskets near the entrance. “Do you need anything? Or am I literally just here to buy toothpaste with you?”

He reaches for a basket. “I could pick some things up, why not?”

She can’t stop grinning out how absolutely ridiculous this is. It’s Christmas Day and she’s running errands at CVS with some guy she met on Tinder on Christmas Eve. She is not the type of person who does stuff like this.

“Shall we start with the candy aisle?” he asks. “Pick up some candy canes and chocolates in case we can’t find anything better for lunch?”

“Do you always operate on pure sugar?”

He shrugs. “Meh. Not since college. Nothing says all-nighter like a can of red bull and a large bag of gummy bears.”

“So, the six pack is a new thing then?”

Logan laughs, leading her down the candy aisle and plucking various sweets from the shelves to put in the basket. “Might be a bit more defined than it was in college, but it’s been there. You have to have good core strength for surfing. Helps with the balance.”

“And you do a lot of surfing out here in New York.”

“Well you see, Veronica, there’s this real neat invention called an airplane –”

“Ha, ha,” she fake laughs. “Do you go back to California a lot?”

“I used to. Before work took over my life.”

“Boy, do I know that feeling,” she mutters, dropping some Ghirardelli peppermint bark in the basket.

“Peppermint _and_ chocolate,” Logan grins, nodding in approval. “I like your style.”

She shoots him a look, wandering over to the dental care aisle. “We’re really going to need this if we eat all that sugar.”

“Oh, come on,” he says, following her. “Didn’t you ever get a stocking full of chocolate and candy canes as a kid? That you promptly ate all of before your parents even woke up causing them to be very upset when you were too full for an actual breakfast?”

She snorts, locating her preferred brand and flavor of toothpaste and tossing it into the basket. “My parents – no, my _mother_ – always tried to get away with putting fruit in my stocking. My dad had to sneak me the candy later.”

“Ah, typical L.A. fitness nut, huh?”

“I’m not from L.A.,” she says shaking her head. “And she couldn’t have cared less about fitness. This was just one of her attempts at good parenting.”

“Do I detect some bad blood there?”

“Trust me,” she starts, leading him out of the dental care aisle and up the next, which unfortunately is the feminine care and family planning aisle. “You don’t want to get into the topic of my mother on our first date.”

He raises his eyebrows at her, probably in regard to her aisle selection. “Fine by me. My parents aren’t my favorite topic either. And this explains another reason why we’re both alone on the holidays.”

“My dad is great,” she tells him, pretending not to notice the way his gaze is lingering over the condoms. “And I would be with him this Christmas if I could, but –”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Veronica. I’m certainly the last person able to judge a workaholic.”

“It’s not what it sounds like.”

“What isn’t? Your addiction to work?”

“I _have_ to win this case. Not to impress anyone or move up in the world or anything but because I can’t let the bastard get away with it.”

His expression changes, switching from a playful one to a serious one. “All right, okay, let’s not cause you anymore stress today. No parents. No work. Just –” he reaches for a random holiday card since they’ve wandered into the greeting card aisle. “Greetings of eggnog and joy.”

She laughs reaching for another card. “Oh, love a good holiday pun. What else do they have?” She picks up a card with a glittering poinsettia on the front. “Lame, this one just says Merry Christmas.”

Logan picks up another card. “What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?”

“Oh a joke card, okay. Let’s hear it.”

He flips it open. “Merry Christmas, Eve!”

“Oh god,” she groans. She picks up a card with a pug wearing an elf hat and hands it to him. “For you. Since you like dogs.”

He flips this one open. “Bah-hum-pug.”

“These are so bad,” Veronica laughs, picking up random cards and flipping through them.

“For you,” Logan says, handing her a card with a lavish tree on the front.

She opens it. “We have great chemis-tree. Nooooo.”

“You liked it.”

The next one she opens up immediately starts playing “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.” Logan laughs at the surprised expression on her face and plucks it from her hands and drops it into the basket.

“Who are you buying that for?” she asks.

“Us. Mood music for later.”

She rolls her eyes, stepping past him. “Are we done here?”

He rubs at the back of his neck. “Done with each other or –”

Fuck, he’s cute, looking all nervous like that.

“No,” she tells him with small smile. “Done with CVS. We’re not spending our entire day here.”

His face lights back up. “So, I passed your test?”

“So far,” she smirks. “Come on, let’s buy our haul and go try to find some food that isn’t pure sugar.”

Logan waves the basket around. “At least we have a back-up plan.”

The woman working the register seems less than enthused to see them. Veronica can’t blame her. CVS is likely open today for things like medication emergencies and oh no my period started and I’m out of tampons – probably not for discount holiday cards and candy and the stray bottle of toothpaste. She gives her an apologetic smile as Logan slings the plastic shopping bag over his forearm and asks her if she’s ready to go.

They step back out into the windy December cold. The wind has died down a bit since she first stepped off the subway.

“Where to now?” she asks him.

“Well,” he starts, rocking back on his heels. “I’m not sure if you _actually_ had your heart set on some takeout Chinese food right now, but I sort of made us a brunch reservation.”

She feels her jaw drop open a little bit. “Logan –”

“Perhaps I was little over optimistic, but I wanted to show you that I have more game than a drugstore when it comes to dates.”

“Christmas brunch reservations around here have to cost close to $200 per person. I would have been fine with –”

“I know the owner,” he cuts her off. “And he owes me, so this meal is entirely free of charge. Best pancakes in Manhattan, I promise.”

She stares at him, all sorts of amazed right now. She can’t believe he called in a favor like this to use on her.

“It’s only a six-minute walk from here. Really worked out when you chose this obscure CVS location,” he continues.

She pushes a hand through her hair, laughing nervously. “I know there are CVS’s all over the city, but this one was the first one that came to mind when you mentioned it. It’s sort of hard to explain…”

“Don’t worry about it, it worked out. Or it will, once you agree to eat brunch with me.”

She laughs again. “Your next lesson about me, Logan, is that I never turn down free pancakes.”

He joins in on her laughter and she can’t help but notice how nice his smile is. She hopes she can keep that happy look on his face all day.

* * *

“You weren’t kidding,” Veronica practically moans around her bite of the fluffiest pancake she’s ever had in her life, covered in strawberries, whipped cream, and Nutella. So much for avoiding a sugar rush.

He grins back at her, cutting into his own stack topped with caramelized bananas and toasted walnuts. “I never kid about pancakes.”

“So, what did you do for your genius chef friend here to earn us this meal? And what other chefs have you helped in the city, so we can get dinner comped too?”

Logan laughs. “I helped him move. Fifth floor. No elevator.”

Her eyes widen. “For that you deserve free pancakes for life.”

He keeps laughing. “But only if you’re invited, right?”

She waves her fork around. “Well I don’t want to assume.”

“I think we’ve been getting along so far.”

“You’re right. You haven’t thrown any insults my way since that initial height joke.”

He smirks. “And you’ve yet to imply that I’m in anyway associated with this vile male species you think so highly of.”

She groans. “Look, I’m sorry. I haven’t had the best luck in the dating department lately. And then this case at work – right, sorry again. No work talk.”

“What’d the guy do?”

She shakes her head. “I’ll spare you the details, but it’s a rape case.”

“I bet those are hard.”

She nods slowly. “Yeah. Especially…yeah.”

Logan reaches for her hand across the table, an offer of comfort. She lets him take it, her hand slipping into his. He squeezes her hand in reassurance and their eyes meet. And there it is – that spark, that electricity so often missing from dates she accepts these days. She wants to say something, anything, to acknowledge this, when their waiter returns to refill their water glasses and Logan’s hand slips out of hers.

Did he feel that too or has she really been this lonely for this long?

“So, what brought you to New York in the first place?” Logan asks.

“Law school,” she sighs, already missing their brief moment. “Columbia.”

“Very nice,” he nods around another bite of his pancakes.

“How about you?”

“I grew up in L.A. and I wanted to get as far away from there as possible without actually leaving the States. Figured that left me with either Chicago or New York if I was looking for a big ad firm to hire me.”

“I take it Chicago wasn’t quite far enough away?”

He shrugs. “I took a couple of interviews there, but it just couldn’t compare to this city.”

“Is this there where you break out into your own rendition of New York, New York?”

“Please, it’s not even baseball season.”

She smiles, cutting off another bite of pancake. “So, what’s so bad about L.A.? I lived closer to San Diego, myself, but it didn’t exactly send me running.”

“My dad’s still there. And he and I don’t exactly get along.”

“Ah and here we are back on the topic of parents.”

“What are the holidays without complaining about your family?”

“We can veer the conversation elsewhere?” she suggests. “Is the topic of your work off limits or just mine?”

There’s that laugh again. “Well, I’m a copywriter.”

“What is that? The person who writes the text for ads?”

“Yeah, basically.”

“Write anything I would have seen?”

“That depends. How often do you take the subway?”

“I took it today. Which one’s yours?”

He fidgets with the straw in his water glass, clearing his throat. “The uh – the STD campaign. To promote getting tested.”

She nearly chokes on the bite of food in her mouth. “I’m sorry, the one that’s suddenly everywhere you look like there was an outbreak overnight or something?”

He grimaces, nodding. “Nothing says happy holidays like asking your partner to get tested, am I right?”

She shakes her head. “Why did they choose this time of year to go big with that particular campaign?”

“Oh you know,” he shrugs. “People get lonely this time of year. They see their friends getting engaged or have their family harassing them about if they’re seeing anyone, so they end up on dating apps looking for a hook-up to make them feel less alone.”

She narrows her eyes at him.

“Not that that’s us!” he adds quickly. “We’re different.”

Veronica sighs. “Are we? We’re two lonely people who ended up on a dating app on Christmas Eve.”

“Do I need to add take an STD test to our to do list?”

She huffs, chucking her straw wrapper at him. “I’m just saying maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to judge other people’s loneliness.”

“Wasn’t judging. Just explaining the logic behind the campaign. I also recently wrote an ad for fabric softener if you prefer we discuss that.”

“You live a thrilling life, Logan.”

He laughs, clinking the ice against his glass with his straw. “We can’t all be fancy lawyers trying to serve justice.”

“You almost make it sound like a superpower,” she smirks.

“Well it is, sort of. Your work is far more important than mine.”

“Hey, if even one person gets tested because of your ad campaign, you’ve done your job.”

“And the fabric softener?” he asks, smiling.

“Yeah, no, you’re screwed there. People have their brands. They don’t tend to stray from what they grew up using.”

He shakes his head, still smiling. “You still up for more Christmas adventures in the city after this?”

A slow smile spreads across her lips, her mind already racing with trying to figure out what else he could have possibly planned on such short, impromptu notice.

“I’m all yours, Logan. Lead the way.”


	3. Chapter 3

They’re not far off from The Highline, so Logan suggests they walk across it. Outdoor activities in winter? Excellent. She’s not sure how two native Californians like themselves are holding up out here on the east coast this time of year.

“You know, every winter I find myself wondering why I stayed out here,” Veronica says as they climb the stairs to the elevated linear park. It’s built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side.

“Not a cold weather person?” Logan asks with a smirk.

“I’m from southern California, so no, not really.”

He laughs. “Yeah, I get that. Every winter I find myself questioning if it’s really so important that I stay this far away from my father, but ultimately I always decide that it is.”

“The guy must really be an asshole or something.”

“I feel like asshole is just the tip of the iceberg when describing him.”

“Ouch,” she says, laughing a little. “That bad, huh?”

“Yeah. That bad.”

There doesn’t appear to be anyone else up here walking through this park at the moment, not unless they’re further down the line. She’ll take the reprieve from the other people out wandering about today. Most of them are probably tourists anyway.

“There are plenty of other warm states besides California, you know,” Veronica tells him.

Logan shrugs. “Sure, but the big ad agencies aren’t in those states.”

“Right, right, because other states don’t need the constant reminder to get tested for STDs.”

“Okay, time to let that one go,” he grunts.

She laughs, enjoying teasing him far too much. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You did your job and got paid and the people of New York will ultimately be better for it.”

“Says the woman trying to get a rapist off our streets.”

“See? Both of us out here just trying to do our part.”

He rolls his eyes and she keeps smirking up at him, waiting for him to meet her gaze. He does eventually turn to catch her eye, and she feels that same electric spark she had felt earlier when he was holding her hand. The cheesy Christmas card at CVS had been right – they do have chemistry. She wonders if he feels it too.

“Your eyes are the prettiest shade of blue,” Logan says quietly. “Your pictures on Tinder don’t do them justice.”

She feels herself blush, ducking her head and breaking their eye contact. “Thank you.”

He nudges her arm with his elbow as they continue walking. “So, tell me more about yourself, Veronica.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to share. Why you chose being a lawyer, what about Columbia appealed to you, why your last serious relationship didn’t work out, you know whatever.”

She laughs again at his last suggestion. “Ah so you want the Veronica tell all?”

“Only if you’re willing. I can promise to follow up with the Logan tell all if you’d like.”

Oh yes. She would very much like to know why a guy as attractive as he is, is still single.

“It’s a deal,” she says, extending her gloved hand toward him for him to shake.

He grins, perhaps lingering a little too long with his hand in hers. Not that she minds. At all.

“Okay, so, the lawyer thing,” Veronica starts. “My dad was the sheriff in our small town of Neptune for a lot of years. But when it became more about corrupt politics and less about protecting the city and keeping people safe, he was voted out. So, he started his own private investigator business. I used to help him out after school, played secretary, did a little digging of my own. The criminal justice system is in my blood, I guess you could say. When I started college, I even thought I wanted to join the FBI someday. But dreams change, you know? They shift and morph and end up as something else. Being a lawyer just seemed like a safer option. It was still in the system, just on the other side of it.”

“So, you went into law school, knowing you wanted to come out of it as a prosecutor?”

She sighs. “I toyed with the idea of defense attorney for a while, but…ultimately I just decided it wasn’t the right fit.”

“That’s great that you’ve always at least had some type of idea about what you wanted to do with your life. Advertising sort of just fell into my lap.”

She looks over at him and smiles. “How does that happen?”

“Ha well,” he starts, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I was one of those rich kids growing up. Never had to work a day in my life, had everything handed to me, my parents could literally _buy_ my way out of trouble. Thought I could just stay that way forever, you know? Didn’t really have any aspirations in life. I ended up in college mostly to piss off my father at the time. ‘You have no direction in life, son, what good are you doing squandering away my money on tuition when you’ll never amount to anything?’”

He sighs, shaking his head, and Veronica gets the urge to comfort him. She reaches for his hand again, lacing her fingers between his and squeezing. He looks over at her with a small smile, not letting go of her hand as they keep walking.

“I started off as just a generic business major, because, as much as it pained me, my father was right. I had no direction in life. And then I took a marketing class and my professor told me that I had real potential. I started taking more marketing and advertising classes, even ended up with a minor in English. I found my calling, as it were. Wanted to give dear old Dad that final fuck you and moved all the way out here away from him. My current campaigns may just be STD testing and fabric softener, but I’ve worked on some pretty big ones in the past. Just waiting for the right client to call on my expertise again. But I proved to myself that I didn’t need my family money _or_ my family name to make something of myself and _be_ someone.”

She smiles up at him, tugging on his arm a little. “Big campaigns like what Mr. Hot Shot?”

“Tiffany’s for one. And Hershey’s.”

“Wow diamonds _and_ chocolate. How are you still single?”

Logan laughs. “I can manage to attract the girls, but I can’t manage to keep them. Maybe I’m too married to my work, I don’t know.”

“Maybe you just need to meet someone who’s also married to their work. Someone who gets it.”

“Someone like you?”

He holds her gaze again, his hand still twined with hers, and she thinks, just for a moment, that he’s going to kiss her.

“Yeah,” she says softly. “Someone like me.”

There’s that brilliant smile of his again. The one she is very much tempted to kiss right off his gorgeous face.

“So, tell me, Veronica Mars, is being married to your work the reason a girl like you is still single too?”

“Are we skipping ahead to that point in my memoir?”

“Maybe we are. You can tell me about Columbia later.”

She returns his smile, fighting off the urge to just pull him up against her. She’s never been the type to get immediately physical with a guy, especially with one she’s just met, but there’s just something about him that has her mind flashing to images of what it would be like to straddle him.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been in a serious relationship, I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like,” she tells him honestly.

“Did your last one end badly?”

She grimaces. “You could say that.”

They start walking again, but he still hasn’t let go of her hand.

“Piz was –”

“Wait, Piz?” Logan cuts her off. “That was his name?”

“Well technically it was Stosh. Piz was a nickname from his last name. It’s what everyone called him.”

“That right there should have been your first red flag.”

She manages to elbow him in the side without detangling their joined hands. “He was sweet okay? And a really nice guy.”

“But let me guess, you’re more into bad boys? Please be into bad boys.”

“Do you fashion yourself to be a bad boy, Echolls?”

“If only you’d known me in high school,” he says, with a waggle of his eyebrows.

She shakes her head, continuing on. “We were together for two years. And then he proposed and I…turned him down. I didn’t want to marry him. I didn’t realize that I wasn’t happy until he tried to stick me with him for the rest of forever. And I’ve had zero luck in the dating department ever since. Like karma’s been playing some sick joke on me or something.”

“Well, with the way you’ve been holding my hand for the past five minutes, I think your karma may be having a change of heart.”

She feels herself blush again, almost tugging her hand away when he instead squeezes her hand in reassurance.

“You’re keeping my hand warm, don’t let go now,” he teases.

_Oh, I can think of plenty of other ways to keep you warm, Logan_. _And nearly all of them are dirty._

“Have you ever wanted to propose to someone before?” she asks instead.

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve never met anyone I was that crazy about or in love with. I mean I guess my high school girlfriend – I really thought I was in love with her but she uh – she died.”

She lets her thumb brush over the back of his hand. “Oh, Logan, I’m so sorry.”

He exhales a deep breath. “There’s a part of me that wonders if I’ve never been able to find love again because I’m still hung up on her and the closure she and I never got.”

“So, what you’re saying is, we both have that one ex that has completely screwed up future relationships for the both of us.”

Logan laughs. “Yeah, pretty much. Two workaholics with commitment issues, we make a great pair.”

“Well, I have no complaints so far,” Veronica tells him. “Except for maybe that initial short joke.”

He keeps laughing. “See? Aren’t you glad you took a chance on this random guy from Tinder, so you didn’t have to spend today alone?”

“I’m glad I took a chance on _your abs_ if that’s what you mean,” she laughs. “That’s what made me swipe right.”

“Ha ha,” he fakes laughs, bumping into her. “I mean after that when I convinced you to meet me at a random CVS.”

“The day is still young, Logan.”

“No complaints, but you’re worried you’ll have second thoughts later?”

She hums, making an overexaggerated gesture of swinging their arms back and forth. “Just saying there’s still time for my bad karma to kick back in.”

“Do you need some more convincing on my end? Still afraid I’m going to end up as the type you typically build a case against in court?”

Veronica shakes her head. “I trust you. And I’m excellent at reading people and trusting my gut.”

“Yeah? What does your gut have to say about me then?”

She bites her lower lip, debating how much to give away. How vulnerable is she willing to let herself get with this guy? Is that why all her relationships tend to fail? Because she refuses to let anyone in?

“That you’re different. Good different.”

“I’ll take that as high praise.”

“You should,” she says, smiling. “I keep getting drawn to the same type of guy and every single time they let me down.”

“Well, I’m not sure if we’ve known each other long enough for me to say that I’ll never do that – that I’ll never let you down – but I will say I get the feeling that I don’t want to.”

“Can I ask you something?” she asks, tugging them to a stop near one of the benches.

Logan turns to face her, letting go of her hand so it’s not awkward with the new angle. He instead shoves his hands down into his coat pockets.

“Sure, anything,” he tells her.

“Why me? Were you really just messaging your Tinder matches hoping someone would talk to you yesterday?”

He rocks back on his heels. “I really was just messaging my matches. But you were the only one to respond. And I’ve never had a conversation like the one we had on that app. I could tell you were a good different too and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Wait, that sounds really aggressive…”

Veronica laughs. “No, no, I get it.”

“Honestly, I wasn’t looking to make plans for today, but it sort of felt like fate when you mentioned that you were going to be alone too.”

“What do you normally do on Christmas? If you’re not close with your family –”

“My best friend and I usually take a surfing trip down to Mexico. But I couldn’t get away from work in time this year and then he met some girl he decided he’d rather spend the holiday with anyway.”

“Like this?” she asks, gesturing between them.

“Ha no, Dick is always finding his umm flavor of the week? My guess is he’ll be on to someone else by New Year’s. He’s the type of guy I think you’re used to encountering on Tinder. But he’s the closest thing I have to family since I’m so estranged from my biological one.”

“I’m probably not as much fun as a surfing trip in Mexico, huh?”

Logan takes a step toward her, pulling his hands out of his pockets. “I don’t know. Drugstores and pancakes with a beautiful girl? Definitely nothing to complain about. I think I may even enjoy the company more than I would Dick’s.”

Oh, okay this is happening. He really is going to go for it this time, isn’t he?

“Yeah? And why’s that?” she asks.

“Well for starters,” he says, taking another step closer. “I couldn’t do this.”

He closes the distance between them, tentatively pressing his lips to hers in a quick kiss. He pulls back and gazes down at her, gauging her reaction.

“If you’re going to kiss me, Echolls, don’t half ass it.”

Logan grins and dips his head to kiss her again. Only this time, he _really_ kisses her. His fingers thread through her hair, holding her head in place just where he wants it. He deepens the kiss, and she tastes the lingering notes of syrup and coffee. God, he’s good at this. And of course he would be. Her mind drifts to thoughts of how that tongue of his would feel elsewhere and the thought alone gets her to moan into his mouth. She feels his lips pull into a smile against hers at the sound, one hand releasing her hair to skim down her back. She shivers under his touch, unconsciously pressing herself more flush up against him, seeking more, craving it.

The bench behind her is digging into the back of her legs. She could sit and drag him down with her, but that’s just asking for her to end up straddling him in this public park. Her next train of thought is to just wrap her legs around his waist and – _God, Veronica, no. You’re in public._

She breaks the kiss with a huff, her hands still fisted into the front of his coat. When did she even put them there?

“Everything okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, yes, just the bench,” she drops her hands from his coat and gestures behind her. “Was digging into my legs and –”

“So, you’re requesting a change of scenery?”

“Well, I – I guess I am.”

“What kind of scenery did you have in mind? Indoors? Outdoors?”

She’s picturing her apartment. His apartment. Anywhere with a damn bed or a couch even or _what the fuck, Veronica? Get a grip._

Logan laughs at her stunned silence. “Just wondering if you’re cold or not. We can try and duck in somewhere else that’s open to warm up for a bit or I was thinking maybe we could hop in a cab and go check out the holiday market at Bryant Park. Seemed like a festive idea. And they’re likely selling some overpriced hot drinks to warm us up.”

“You were doing a pretty good job with the warming up all on your own.”

He laughs again. “Only pretty good?”

“You should only ever full ass things,” she tells him. “We’re two very busy people, Logan, we don’t have time for that tentative crap.”

He tosses her a shit-eating grin. “We could make out on the cab ride, if you like. Give our driver a little holiday show.”

“Damn, if only I was wearing my festive underwear.”

His eyes widen. “What the hell do you consider making out and where were you when I was in high school?”

She’s the one laughing now, reaching for his hand again, and leading him toward the nearest set of stairs to exit The Highline.

“We can go to Bryant Park,” she tells him. “Any chance we’ll run into some mistletoe there?”

He hums, tapping his chin with his free hand. “You know, I don’t know. But if that’s what I need to kiss you again, I’ll fake it.”

“You don’t need an excuse. It’s Christmas.”

“Is that the national kissing holiday?”

“No, I’m – in a giving mood.”

Logan snorts. “Right okay. I heard that little moan back there. You’re also in a _receiving_ mood if I read that correctly.”

She shoves him lightly. “Shut up and find us a cab.”

“Oh yeah,” he says, shaking his head and eyeing the street for a taxi. “Much better company than Dick.”


	4. Chapter 4

Even on Christmas Day, Bryant Park is buzzing with activity. Extremely last-minute shoppers and meandering tourists wander in and out of the shops of the holiday market. Some take to chatting with hot drinks in hand around the massive Christmas tree decorated in red, silver, and blue ornaments. While others trip and glide around the ice rink.

“See any mistletoe?” Veronica asks as they make their way toward the scene.

“I’ll be sure to keep an eye out,” Logan says, looping one of his arms through hers. “Where to first?”

“What is this, one of those choose your own adventure games?”

“Oh yes, make the wrong choice and we could end up being forced to give someone directions.”

“Like that would be so terrible?”

“You clearly haven’t been forced to explain the difference between uptown and downtown before.”

She balks at him. “How hard is that to understand?”

“Apparently very hard for some people.”

She sighs letting him guide her along past the shops.

“You know what I realized?” Logan asks as they pass two kids begging their parents to let them go ice skating.

“That you’re glad that you don’t have kids?”

He laughs as the younger one’s voice turns shrill. “Wasn’t where I was going with that, but maybe you’re right. But what I was _going_ to say is that it’s Christmas and neither of us have any presents to open.”

“What do you mean? You bought me toothpaste and peppermint bark. I’m set.”

“Oh, come on, that stuff doesn’t count. And that’s not just my rich kid upbringing saying that.”

“So, what do you suggest we do? Buy something from one of the vendors here and ask if they have gift wrap?”

Logan laughs again. “Yeah, something like that. We could go our separate ways for a bit, browse the shops, find something we think the other person would like, and meet back up at the bar for a warm drink and gift exchange.”

“We barely know each other,” she says, laughing. “And now you want us to search for the perfect gift?”

“That’s what makes it so fun! And it doesn’t have to be perfect. Just take what we’ve learned about each other in the past couple of hours and apply it.”

“Do you force all of your dates to buy you a gift on your first date?”

“Only the ones I know I can talk into it,” he answers with a smirk. “And didn’t you tell me earlier you were in a giving mood?”

She narrows her eyes at him. “You know I meant something else entirely when I said that.”

“Come on, where’s your sense of Christmas adventure?”

“You are far too cheerful about this,” Veronica mutters, eyeing the rows and rows of vendors.

“I bet you’re more fun to shop for than Dick too.”

“You’re really trying to sell me on this, aren’t you?”

Logan shrugs. “It’s my profession. Just like yours is to argue.”

She starts to protest, but he’s already strolling away from her.

“30 minutes,” he calls back over his shoulder. “$20 limit.”

“This is officially the weirdest Christmas ever,” she yells back.

“You like it!”

She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. She does. She does like it. And him. But now she has to pick out a gift for him? Where was she supposed to even start?

Veronica eyes the vendor stand immediately to her left. They’re selling dog leashes and bowls and rope toys. She knows that he likes dogs, but does he have one of his own? Any chance this Christmas market has a surf shop? Not that she would have any idea about what to buy him from one if she found one.

She keeps walking. Past a jeweler and a shop for edible cookie dough. She pauses at a shop with knit goods – scarves, hats, mittens. He’d said that his hands were cold earlier. She could buy him gloves?

_Come on, Veronica, you can do better than that_.

The next shop offers handmade leather goods. Small items like wallets and key chain tags to larger items like purses and bags. She can’t remember what his wallet looks like, but she doubts he’s currently on the market for a new one. 

_There has to be something better here. Something more personal._

There’s a photographer set up in the next shop, selling his prints from various locations around NYC. Considering herself a bit of an amateur photographer from her younger days helping her dad with his P.I. business, she steps over to take a closer look. They’re not your traditional shots of the city like the Brooklyn Bridge or the Empire State Building. They instead capture the local scene – small businesses, commuters on the subway, dancers rushing to flag down a taxi with pointe shoes in hand. She’s instantly drawn to them, taking in the little details, looking for something that screams Logan.

And then she sees it. In one of the photos taken from a subway station. A break dancer spins on his head at the focal point, a small crowd clapping and cheering around him. But _behind_ him, pasted up on the subway wall and as clear as day, is one of those damn STD testing campaign ads of Logan’s.

She has to get it, knows it immediately. Spends an extra $10 over his imposed limit to get the larger print size so the ad is easier to see. She wonders how long it will take him to see it – imagines the confusion on his face when he pulls out this seemingly random photograph of a street performer. She can just _hear_ his laughter as soon as he gets it.

Fuck, she has it bad for him.

Veronica takes her picture and heads toward the bar where he suggested they meet after they finished their shopping. It’s shrouded in a heated tent away from the wind and she’s grateful for the reprieve. She orders herself a hot toddy and claims a table to wait for him. He strolls in a few minutes later, catching her eye before moving toward the bar to order something for himself. Drink in hand, Logan joins her at the table, placing his shopping bag on top.

“Were you successful?” he asks.

“I think so,” she grins, letting the warmth from her drink warm her hands. “It looks like you were as well. Was it more fun than shopping for Dick, just like you’d hoped?”

“It was. Much more challenging. Gave me something to prove.”

She smirks at him, plopping the sack with his print in his lap. “You first.”

He grins back at her, setting his drink down on the table before prying open the sack. She watches his face as he pulls out the photograph and stares at it intently. She sees the confusion, sees that moment of ‘oh shit, what do I have to say about this?’ pass over his features.

Logan laughs nervously. “You’re gonna have to explain this one to me.”

“You’re not _looking_ at it,” she tells him. “Take in the whole picture. Background, foreground, all of it.”

He shoots her a look before bending his head to take in the photo again. His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion and then he sees _it_. The grin stretches back onto his face and he’s laughing just like she knew he would.

“How the hell?” he asks, still laughing.

“Your work is officially immortalized.”

“Of all the ad campaigns I get hired to work on, this one _would_ be the one to haunt me.”

“And now you have your own personal copy to frame and display for all of your guests.”

“You’re so thoughtful, Veronica.”

She overexaggerates tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I know.”

“Seriously,” he says, still laughing. “This is great. I can’t believe…god, how many other people are going to have my STD ad hanging in their homes?”

“I can point out the photographer’s shop if you want to go and demand royalties.”

He shakes his head, his laughter starting to subside. “No, no, I’m good. Damn, I don’t know if mine can top that.”

She smiles, pulling the bag on the table closer to her. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

Veronica opens the bag and pulls out a small, fully wrapped present.

“So, you really did go there with asking for the gift wrap, huh?” she asks, her fingers toying with the red ribbon bow.

“You were insistent,” he shrugs.

She rolls her eyes and pulls off the bow before peeling back the wrapping paper. She’s greeted by a grey box. Lifting the lid, she reveals a gold necklace with a tiny scales of justice charm dangling in the center.

“Too on the nose?” Logan asks, wincing.

She shakes her head. “No, it’s perfect. It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

Logan stands and reaches to take the necklace from her. “Here. Let me.”

He steps behind her and fastens the clasp at the nape of her neck, his fingertips lingering against her skin. She touches the charm as it comes to rest above her sternum, looking back over her shoulder at him.

“This date isn’t just for today, is it?” she asks quietly. “This isn’t going to stop just because the holiday ends?”

“Is that what you want?” Logan asks, his hands now resting on her shoulders. “A second date? We haven’t even finished our first one yet.”

“You feel it too, don’t you? This thing between us?”

He sits back down across from her, taking one of her hands in his. “I feel it. Felt it the first time I got you to laugh today. Felt it when we kissed.”

“Just two workaholics with commitment issues who get each other, huh?”

“It helps that we’re both hot too.”

She snorts. “Okay.”

“Am I wrong?”

“I think I’ve told you an embarrassing number of times at this point how attractive I think you are.”

“Right, right,” Logan laughs. “Only in it for my body, I get it. I did make that comment about how much I appreciate your boobs yesterday though. And today your eyes.”

“I suppose the physical attraction helps,” Veronica smirks. “It certainly doesn’t hurt.”

He smiles, releasing her hand to reach back for his drink. “We’ll plan a second date then. But let’s finish our first one first.”

She brings her drink up to her lips to take a sip. “How cliché do you want to make this thing?”

“On a scale from 90s romantic comedy to Hallmark Christmas movie, how cliché are we talking?”

She stifles a laugh, nearly spitting back out her drink. “We could hit the ice rink. Hope it snows on us for that extra movie magic touch.”

“Oh perfect, love it. You know, I’ve never been ice skating in my entire life.”

“Oh amazing, our movie practically writes itself.”

“Only if I step out on the ice and suddenly possess Olympic level skill.”

Veronica laughs. “Wrong movie. If we’re going for Hallmark level cheese, you have to fall on your ass as soon as you step out on the ice and then pull me down with you when I offer to help.”

“I think I can make that work.”

“Just try not to cut me with your skates, Twinkle Toes.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Tonya.”

She smirks at the figure skating reference. “I think in this scenario, I’d be Nancy.”

He shrugs. “Either way. Should I call a film crew down to document us? Some guys at work owe me some favors…”

She snorts. “Why do you always have people owing you favors? You’re like the mob boss of the ad world.”

“If the shoe fits,” he says, waggling his eyebrows. “So, was that a yes on the film crew?”

“Don’t you dare.”

“You’re no fun,” he fake pouts.

“I’m plenty of fun. If I wasn’t, you would have left after CVS.”

“Maybe I’m your typical guy after all. Just sticking around hoping to get lucky later.”

“Are you?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at him. “Hoping to get lucky later?”

“Let’s put it this way,” he says, leaning in closer to her. “I wouldn’t say no.”

She feels the shiver it sends through her, his breath hot on her skin. “For the record, I wouldn’t either.”

He grins. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She bites her lower lip, allowing her mind to once again drift to mental images of straddling him. “Good.”

They finish their drinks and make their way down to the ice-skating rink to rent some skates. Logan’s first few steps onto the ice are wobbly, but he doesn’t fall. She’s no Tara Lipinski herself, but she’s a hell of a lot more stable than he is.

He clings to her hand like she’s the only thing keeping him on his feet.

“You can hold on to the wall if you want,” she tells him through laughter, after he almost tugs both of them down onto the ice when he trips. “You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

“Who said I was trying to prove anything to you? I’m trying to prove something to myself.”

“Just because you can stand on a wave of water, doesn’t mean you’re any more inclined to be able to stand on a blade on ice.”

“But I have core strength,” he fake whines, patting his stomach. “I have excellent balance.”

“Clearly doesn’t apply to the ice.”

“Like you’re any better,” he teases when she wobbles next to him.

“I never claimed to have good balance.”

He huffs, loosening his grip on her hand. “Okay, okay, let me try this on my own.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” she smirks.

Logan manages to take a few independent glides before he ends up on his ass. She throws her head back in laughter and the movement throws off her balance and sends her sprawling right down onto the ice next to him. He points at her and laughs and she manages to scoop up some loose ice shavings from the rink and chuck it at him in response like she would a snowball.

“How do I cue the snow to start falling so we can get out of here?” he asks, crawling toward her on the ice.

“I think you have to kiss me first.”

“Is that how that works?”

“Do you want me to call the Hallmark Channel and confirm?”

He smiles, reaching out to cup her cheek in one of his hands. “I think I can take this direction all on my own.”

He closes the distance between them, kissing her like he had earlier on The Highline. She tastes the bourbon from his drink, itches to press herself against him and feel the hard planes of his body against hers. She takes from him this time, control of the kiss, control of holding him right where she wants him.

She only breaks away when she hears someone yell at them to ‘get a room.’

Veronica catches Logan’s gaze with a flushed face, laughing with him as other skaters continue to glide past.

“That didn’t work,” he tells her. “It’s not snowing.”

“Well unfortunately for us, our life is not a movie.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just means our story doesn’t stop after the big kiss.”

“No?” she asks with a smile. “The choose your own adventure story continues. What comes next?”

Logan uses the wall to push himself up, before extending his hands to help Veronica to her feet as well.

“Is it too forward of me to suggest we take their suggestion to get a room?” he asks.

She brushes the ice from her jeans. “Well, my pants _are_ uncomfortably wet from the ice now. Wouldn’t want to get pneumonia or anything.”

“Right, right, because _that’s_ how that works,” he agrees, nodding. “So, uh, do you want to change into another pair of your own pants or just borrow some of mine?”

“Is that your way of asking your place or mine?”

“That bad of a pickup line, huh?”

She shoves him gently, forgetting they’re still standing on the ice, and then immediately grabs onto his coat to steady him when he slips.

“You could just say no instead of threatening my life,” Logan laughs.

She shakes her head. “I told you earlier, I wouldn’t say no. And I’m not the kind of girl who goes back on her word.”

“My place then,” he says, gesturing to the ice covering his jeans. “I don’t think your pants are going to fit me.”

“I’ve followed you this far today, why stop now?”

He smiles, leading her back to solid ground. “This is shaping up to be one hell of a Christmas.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! Thank you everyone for the love on this little holiday story, I sure hope you've enjoyed the ride.

Was it the Tiffany’s campaign? Hershey’s? The now infamous STD testing campaign? One of these things paid for this gorgeous loft. She doubts it was his “rich kid” family money since he’s estranged from his parents, so Logan is loaded all on his own. And she’s only a _little_ envious. Seriously. Just a little.

“Have you rubbed this place in your dad’s face yet?” she asks, taking in the view from one of his floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Nah, that would require actually speaking to him, which is something I haven’t done since I moved out here.”

“I’d think you’d want to stick it to him since he seems to never have believed in you.”

“It’s better off this way, trust me. He doesn’t need to know where I am or how I’m doing.”

Veronica studies his face as he stands beside her, staring out at the city. His jaw is clenched and his arms are crossed over his chest.

_Way to bring in a real mood killer, Veronica_.

She touches his arm, and he turns to look at her, his gaze softening.

“I don’t need him,” he tells her. “And he’s made it pretty damn obvious over the years that he doesn’t need me. And I would much rather spend my holidays with a beautiful blonde in my bed anyway.”

He reaches out and tucks a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Is your friend Dick blonde?” she asks him.

His face contorts in disgust. “He is, but I’m not letting him anywhere near my bed. I already found out he was using my bed to…entertain women in college because he was too damn lazy to wash his own sheets.”

“He sounds like a class act.”

Logan sighs, running a hand through his hair. “He’s a jackass, but he’s all I’ve got. The guy is like my brother.”

“Friends are funny that way, aren’t they?”

“They are,” he says, nodding. “But please, enough about the guys in my life, and more about you.”

“Oh me?” she asks, pointing to herself. “I’m the beautiful blonde in your bed? Leaning up against your windows is a weird place to sleep.”

He laughs, stepping toward her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“The bedroom is that way,” he says with a tilt of his head. “Unless you have some fetish with the windows and people watching –”

She shakes her head, taking one of his hands and leading him in the direction he just gestured to. Veronica sits on the edge of his bed, crossing her legs at the ankles, and leaning back on her hands.

“I never do stuff like this,” she tells him.

“Sit on beds?”

She huffs. “Have sex on the first date.”

“We don’t have to, you know. We’ve had a great day already.”

She bites her lower lip, grinning up at him almost shyly. “The way I’ve been thinking about straddling you all day, I don’t want to wait.”

Logan laughs, sitting down on the bed next to her. “You’ve been thinking about straddling me?”

She nods. “Probably as about as often as I’ve brought up your six-pack.”

“And I thought _I_ was supposed to be the dirty-minded one. Since I’m the guy and all.”

She bumps her shoulder against his. “You saying a girl’s not allowed to be horny?”

He grins, cupping one of her cheeks in his hand. “Not saying that at all.”

And then he leans in to kiss her. The kiss is all fire and electric heat. She lets him take control, gives in to his touch, lets him take. His fingers fist into her hair and she finally allows herself to slide across his lap and straddle him. She moans into his mouth the moment her thighs bracket his.

_Finally_.

She hears him chuckle. Swears he mutters something about her being horny again before his mouth is back on hers. Her hips grind against his the more he takes from her and her mouth. She can feel him starting to get hard beneath her. His hands fall from her hair and scrape down her spine, fumbling with the hem of her sweater. She shifts away from him slightly, allowing him to pull the fabric off over her head.

Logan guides his mouth back to hers, his hands now exploring the expanse of her skin he just revealed. She shivers under his touch, the brush of his fingertips leaving goosebumps in their wake. She nips at his lower lip, tugging on the hem of his shirt, anxious to get her hands all over _him_. He complies with a sly grin, letting her trace her fingers across his muscles.

“Everything you hoped?” he asks with a smirk.

She feels her cheeks burn hot with embarrassment, but she shakes it off by locking eyes with him as she moves to unhook her bra. His gaze leaves hers to fall to her chest.

“Everything you hoped?” she mimics.

He pulls her back into him in response. Her hardened nipples press into his firm chest and she moans at the contact, craving the sensation of them being touched. He catches on, his right hand snaking between them and palming one of her breasts, his thumb and index finger coming together to roll the sensitive flesh between them. She mewls, his mouth now tracing down her jawline and finding the sensitive spot on her neck that has her hips grinding even harder against his. She starts to protest when his mouth leaves her neck, but he instead laves his tongue over the nipple he’d just been toying with, his hand now on her other breast as his mouth pays attention to this one. Her head rolls back and she arches into his touch.

He could do this forever. She could come from this. Probably.

His mouth switches to her other breast while his fingers trail down over her stomach, now fidgeting with the button on her jeans.

“You said something earlier about wanting these pants off?” he asks against her skin.

“I believe you had similar thoughts about yours.”

Logan shifts his weight and flips them so she’s laying on her back. He unzips her jeans and pulls them and her underwear off of her in one tug. While he’s standing, he undresses himself the rest of the way too. Veronica props herself up on her elbows, taking the sight of him all the way in. Fuck, he’s the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen in her life. And he wants her. Wants her so bad, he’s palming his erection while he stares down at her all laid out before him and waiting.

“I know I said I never do stuff like this,” she starts. “But isn’t this the part where you let me do the touching?”

“Thought I’d start us off,” he says, his tone of voice alone doing things to her insides.

He drops to his knees on the carpet, gently tugging on her hips so she’s sitting closer to the edge of the bed. He looks up at her, catching her eye, waiting for her permission to continue. She’s had some shitty oral sex in her lifetime. Piz, for one, had been awful at it. So awful, in fact, that she had told him she just wasn’t into it. But just from the way Logan kisses her, she knows he will be different.

Veronica nods slowly, watching as he responds by kissing his way up her inner thigh. He gets to the apex of her leg and then repeats the slow torture with her other thigh. This time, however, he finishes his task by placing his mouth right where she wants it. He licks a stripe up through her folds and over her clit. She lets out a shuddering breath at the contact.

Logan spreads her apart with two fingers, his other hand tracing the same path with his index finger.

“Have you been this wet all day?” he asks, circling his index finger around her clit again and again and her brain starts to go foggy and nearly forgets the question.

“I – maybe?” she breathes.

“Thinking about me?” he continues, leaning forward to replace his index finger with his tongue.

“I –”

_Oh my god. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

“That’s not an answer,” he chuckles.

But he doesn’t give her the time to give him one. His mouth is _on_ her – sucking and nipping and licking – and she’s not even sure if she remembers her own name at this point, let alone his. And now his fingers are sliding into her and he’s still doing that magnificent thing with his tongue and she thinks she’s forgotten how to breathe even because she’s _panting._ If his other arm wasn’t pinning her down, her hips would twist right off the bed. They’re already gyrating against his movements, seeking that release she can feel building, a moan trapped in her throat that won’t come out because what is air at this point?

“Let go, Veronica,” he says against her skin, twisting his wrist with his fingers still pumping inside of her. “Come for me.”

She looks down her chest at him, catching his eye right as he looks up at her while he brings his mouth back down to her clit. It shatters her. She gasps and her back arches as her eyes slam shut. He coaxes her through it, slower strokes of his fingers, gentler licks of his tongue. She collapses back against the bed, her thighs falling open from their tense state around his head as she relaxes. Logan kisses his way back up her body, his hand gripping her hip – slick with her own juices.

The cocky bastard smirks at her, guiding her back up the bed until her head lands on a pillow. He hovers over her, reaching into his nightstand to pull out a condom.

“Here, let me,” she says, taking it from him, eager for her turn to do some touching.

She rips off the wrapper and tosses it haphazardly to the floor. She reaches between them for his dick and he rolls onto his side to give her easier access. She strokes the length of him a couple of times, reveling in the sounds it draws from him, imagining how full she’ll feel with him buried deep inside of her. Her thumb rubs back and forth across the tip, the condom practically forgotten in her other hand.

“Ronica?” he croaks out her name, losing the first syllable.

“You been thinking about me all day too?” she laughs, finally moving to roll the condom on him.

“100 percent.”

And then he’s on her again, his mouth at her neck, one hand between them stroking himself as he prepares to slide into her. He goes slowly at first, letting her adjust to the size of him as he enters her. She curses when he bottoms out, loving how he stretches her in all the right ways. Her hands grope at his ass while he finds a rhythm for his thrusts – first slow, then fast, then back to slow just when she feels like she might start screaming. It’s torturous and delicious all at the same time.

But Veronica needs more – she needs control, to take charge. She flips them, widening her thighs and letting herself sink down on top of him. Logan moans in approval. She leans back on her hands, deepening the angle, allowing the upward thrusts of his dick to hit just the right spot that will send her over the edge again. He props himself up too, reaching out to rub at her clit while she rides him.

“Fuck!”

Her eyes had slipped closed. She wasn’t expecting the extra friction – the extra electricity it sends through her. A few more sloppy thrusts and she’s as good as gone – her orgasm taking over. Logan takes the opportunity to flip them again, finishing himself off while coaxing her down from her own high. The moan he makes when he comes has her already wanting to go another round.

Her fingers mindlessly roam his back while he recovers himself, her hand sliding down to his hip when he pulls out to remove the condom. She feels a raised bump of skin there – an old scar of some sort. She makes a mental note to ask him about it someday, but not today.

And then she catches herself. Already making plans for their future when they’ve only had a single date. But she feels like she knows him. Feels like she’s known him longer than the what – 24 hours since he first messaged her?

Her thumb unconsciously brushes across his scar again as he settles back down beside her. Or was that a different one?

“Reminder of a past I left behind,” he says quietly.

She’s not entirely sure what that means, but she doesn’t push him further.

“Hopefully the nail marks I left on your ass don’t stick around as a reminder,” she jokes.

He laughs, but not as boisterous as she’s grown accustomed to today.

“Now you,” he starts, reaching over to boop her nose which has her rolling her eyes, “are one person I _would_ like the reminder of.”

“Want me to set a reminder in your phone? Schedule me in? Weekly Veronica time?”

“Only weekly? I was kind of hoping for daily.”

She shakes her head. “You’ll get real sick of me, real fast.”

“Why? You gonna keep cancelling on me for work? Two can play that game you know.”

“Don’t tell me we’re never going to see each other,” she pouts. “That,” she starts, gesturing down the length of his body, “was too much fun to never do it again.”

“It can never be recreated.”

“Excuse me? And why not?”

“It won’t be our first date. And you never do things like this on the first date.”

“Yeah, but just wait until you see what I do on the second date.”

“Is that when you let me fuck you up against my large windows for the world below to see?”

“Okay, I’m starting to think _you’re_ the one with the voyeur fetish.”

He laughs his regular full laugh that’s been filling her up all day. She smiles, letting herself sink against him. Okay, they’re officially spooning, this is happening.

“This was the weirdest, best first date I’ve ever had,” Veronica tells him. “And I mean that.”

“I agree,” he says. “And to think, all I was trying to do was entertain my boredom on Christmas Eve.”

“I’m glad you picked me to talk to. Or rather I’m glad I chose to respond.”

“Christmas magic maybe. Hallmark wishes they wrote us.”

She laughs, shaking her head, her hair fanning out against his pillow.

“You’re welcome to stay the night,” he tells her. “But I won’t be offended if you want to go home.”

She looks over his shoulder to see the clock. “It’s still Christmas. And I promised to spend the day with you. Besides, we never ate dinner. Just skipped right ahead to the sex.”

“And whose fault is that?” Logan laughs.

“Both of ours,” she says, poking him in the chest. “Please tell me you have something here besides candy canes and chocolate.”

He hums, appearing to think about what he has stocked in his pantry. “I make a mean grilled cheese. Or I could offer you some cereal sans the milk since I ran out last week and still haven’t made it out to buy more.”

“Typical workaholic. If we were at my place, I’d be offering you three-day old Chinese.”

“Mmm sounds promising. Two completely functional adults over here.”

“The stuff of movies, truly.”

He laughs, pushing himself out of bed and digging through his drawers until he finds a pair of sweatpants. He holds them out to her.

“I promised you pants.”

“You wear those,” she tells him. “Just find me a hoodie instead.”

He complies and she slips it on over her head, inhaling the scent of his laundry detergent and trying to decide if she likes it better than her own.

“Do you use the fabric softener you wrote that ad campaign for?” she asks.

“Nah, like you said, everybody already has their favorites.”

She laughs, following him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. She sits at a stool, watching him move around and gather supplies.

“So,” he starts, setting the pan on the stovetop. “Got any plans for New Year’s?”


End file.
